Remarks from Lindsay Weinberg

Lindsay is a full time educator at the Old Town School of Folk Music (since 2005), a teaching artist through Ravinia's Reach Teach Play program, and a solo performer for both kids and adults. She is a recipient of Old Town School of Folk Music's Distinguished Teaching Artist award this year.

The Old Town School of Folk Music is more than just a building. It is all of us. It is the songs we’ve sung, the lessons we’ve learned, the tricks we’ve taught, the friends we’ve found, the community we’ve connected with, and the memories we’ve made. It has made us who we are. It has made us better. It brings out the best parts of us, through the magic of music and the strength of the human heart.

But while OTSFM is so much more than just a building, this building is where, for so many of us, all of that incredible stuff comes to life. It is a facility that facilitates this magic every day. This is not the time to let it go.

I believe in the magic. I have faith in it, just like I have faith in my students to become something more, to allow music to help them discover and embody a better version of themselves. The teachers here know how to make that happen. The students know how to make that happen. The staff here knows how to make that happen. This community knows how to make that happen. Which is why we are here; we believe that with energy and care and trust, this building can house another wave of growth, like it has for the past 50 years. We need to honor its past, take care of the many people who work and learn here in the present, and believe in its future. Stop the sale. There is too much music to make.